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McKenzie River

The Eugene Water & Electric Board will begin dewatering the Leaburg Power Canal on Saturday morning, April 2nd, to perform maintenance on the power plant, canal and fish screen. The shutdown of the Leaburg generating facility and power canal is expected to last about two weeks, according to utility spokesman Joe Harwood. "During the shutdown, EWEB will divert very little water from the McKenzie River into the canal, which will cause the river level to rise downstream of the canal’s mouth.

LEABURG: “The first work we’re doing with the Connect America program is in this area,” were welcome words heard by a packed audience last Thursday night. They came from Karen Stewart, CenturyLink’s director of local government affairs, who was talking about a federally backed program to upgrade McKenzie area broadband service that is already underway. Asked for a completion date she said, “September, unless we run into construction problems.”
Under the wing of the Federal Communications Commission, the Connect America project is designed to accelerate infrastructure construction to reach some of the 23 million people who currently can’t connect at speeds of at least 10 Mbps (megabits per second of data transfer) downloading and 1 Mbps to upload. CenturyLink accepted those funds for Oregon, committing to complete the project in the state within six years.

FINN ROCK: Some McKenzie Schools staffers may have re-routed their vacation plans in order to spend this week in Portland. “We let the whole staff know where we are in terms of our budget,” superintendent Jim Thomas told the school board last Wednesday. “We’re in the process of notifying people that would be directly impacted by it and chose to do that before Spring Break because Portland had their job fair coming up. It wouldn’t be fair to teachers who may have to be leaving to miss the opportunity to go to a job fair.”
Specifics on who might be affected will remain confidential until they’re discussed at a future executive board session. Thomas said staff cuts are tied to declining enrollment and state support. They would hinge on factors including seniority and certifications. At the time of the meeting, estimates were that next year’s budget will decline close to $370,000, resulting in the loss of about one and a half teaching positions. Since then another adjustment from the state raised that shortage to $459,000.

McKenzie Varsity Sports Schedule This Week

Get ready to spring forward this weekend with fresh powder and fun times at Hoodoo. The current forecast is predicting 24-42 inches of new snow Friday night through Monday. It's the perfect time to visit Hoodoo and enjoy some late winter turns on the slopes.National Weather Service
Detailed ForecastThis Afternoon - Rain before 4pm, then rain and snow showers. High near 38. South southeast wind 5 to 7 mph becoming light and variable. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.Tonight - Rain and snow. Low around 30. Southwest wind 10 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of around an inch possible.Saturday - Snow. High near 36. Southwest wind around 18 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 7 inches possible.

LEABURG: Narrowing the digital divide that separates rural areas from high speed internet connections will be the focus of a March 17th meeting at McKenzie Fire & Rescue’s Leaburg Training Center. Organizers of the meeting include several McKenzie area residents who attended a Rural Broadband Conference convened by the Oregon Rural Development Council in Bend last month. That conference offered information on an array of federal, state and local initiatives that were designed to reach unserved, and under-served rural residents.

Feb. 24: 3:30 pm: Suspicious Conditions – 90000 block, Greenwood Dr. Someone approached complainant & advised he was fishing at the boat landing. A vehicle there hasn’t moved for 2 hours, with a wheelchair sticking out of it & an open door. It appears subject is camping at the location. They approached the vehicle & saw a male in a sleeping bag. He didn’t seem to be moving. Involved vehicle is a green Subaru. 15:32: Fire Dept. confirmed the male was sleeping.

EUGENE: The Lane County Parks Advisory Committee will hold a public hearing in two weeks to gather testimony regarding the draft Five-Year Capital Improvement Program (CIP) for county parks projects from 2017 to 2021.
The Parks CIP is a five-year program used to plan expenditures for capital improvements to the Lane County Parks System according to Parks Manager Mike Russell. “Projects included in the CIP are designed to improve safety, utility and efficiency of existing facilities and further develop and add amenities that will improve visitors’ experiences,” he said. “Community members who have a park project that they would like to see included in the plan are encouraged to attend the hearing and provide testimony.”

By Jim Baker, Blue River CDC & McKenzie Action team
The McKenzie Action Team, a group of community volunteers, hosted an open session on February 17 for residents to gather and discuss options for dealing with septic tank issues in Blue River.
There has been a long festering problem with aging and failing septic tanks. In addition, the small lots in Blue River do not meet modern standards for building due to septic requirements.
As a result, many of the business properties in Blue River cannot reopen or expand. Building lots stay vacant and a home owner often can’t even add a bedroom to their own home for they’re growing family.